A Texas summer just isn’t complete without floating the river. And if you’re going to embark on this age-old journey of aquatic debauchery, you might as well do it right! This year, we’ve partnered with Austin Tour Company to offer public floats with added features that make it a floating party unlike any other.

We’re offering the ultimate floating experience—we provide transportation along with your tube, ice chests, ice, and more! You can meet new friends and live it up on the river without worrying about getting home safe.

Duration: 5 hours (roughly)

Cost: $55.00

Here’s what you can expect:

The best season of the year is here and that’s FLOATING SEASON! Public Floats will always run Friday, Saturday & Sunday. We will be offering Public Floats seven days a week May 4th – September based on availability. For last minute Monday – Thursday floats please call 512-282-8687 to confirm whether or not a Public Float will be running.

**For last-minute float requests for groups of 10 or more, please emailebuthman@austintourcompany.com if the date is note available on this page** Allfloats are subject to availability.

Your ticket includes:

– Round trip transportation from downtown Austin to and from the San Marcos River to float with our partners at Texas State Tubes.

– One tube for you and one for your group to put your cooler in.

– We provide the coolers complimentary for your convenience on the bus. An ATC guide will help ice down the coolers and assign them to groups.

– After leaving downtown Austin, we will stop on the way to the river for you to pick up alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, snacks and ice for you to take on the river. In order to protect the San Marcos River, styrofoam and glass are not allowed.

-Floats normally last 3-3.5 hours, depending on the speed of the river which is altered by the amount of rain we have in the area annually.

– Will will return to downtown Austin at approximately 5PM – 5:30PM

– The bus and float are BYOB.

Need to know:

– New regulations are being enforced by the city of San Marcos on the river – stopping for long periods of time not will be allowed on the float during prime season dates, July-August.

– Please grab a reusable trash bag from Texas State tubes before hopping on the river to collect your trash for the duration of the float. If you do not grab a trash bag, put empty cans back in your cooler. Please do not throw your trash in the river.

– The bus will leave from Texas State Tubes no later than 4:45PM. You are responsible for arriving by this time in order get a ride with ATC back to Austin. The bus cannot wait longer than this time. If you are later than this time, your valuables will be left on site and you will be responsible for getting your ride back to Austin. There is plenty of time to float and arrive back before this time – just be mindful!

– Full trip details and information will be sent out VIA EMAIL the week of your float. Please check your email for those trip details as they are subject to change.

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Don’t forget, we are running contests daily both here and on our 365 Austin Family page. So be sure to check back for your chance to enter them all!

Discover Austin’s dreamy constellation of Christmas lights from high above the city with HELO Austin Helicopter Tours. The perfect splurge-worthy gift, HELO offers you views of Austin’s most festive hotspots, stretching from downtown, to the Trail of Lights and the Zilker Holiday Tree.

If you live in Austin, you know that bats are big. Well not literally big, they’re actually pretty small, but their nightly journey to find insects is a spectacle that draws huge crowds of tourists and locals alike. Every night at dusk from early March to November, more than 1.5 million bats fly out from underneath the Congress Avenue Bridge, home of the largest urban bat colony in the world. It’s an amazing scene and an absolutely essential Austin activity.

While most people just grab a spot on the bridge, there’s actually an even better way to watch the bats. We’ve partnered with Austin Tour Company and Capital Cruises to bring you Bat Tuesday, a party cruise on Town Lake (or Lady Bird Lake as it’s now known). Enjoy great music, snacks, and cocktails aboard a fabulous boat with air conditioning, bathrooms, and a gorgeous roof deck. We’ll pause near the bridge (and turn the music down) at sunset to watch the bats!

Planning the ultimate day in Austin just got much easier! We’re excited to unveil the 365 Planner on our site and mobile apps, an interactive way to map out everything you don’t want to miss while you’re keeping it weird in Austin.

Designed with our partners at Visit Widget, this tool is an interactive way to explore everything the city has to offer, including upcoming events, popular restaurants, shops, bars, and landmarks. View it all at once or search by categories like Music, Coffee Shops, Breweries, Parks, Family, and Free Fun.

See a live show you don’t want to miss? Click “Join” and the venue will be added to your plan.

That restaurant everyone keeps telling you about? Click “Add to Plan” and you won’t forget to try it.

If you’ve got friends in town you can even share your plan with them directly.

No need to waste another sheet of paper – planning is now digital. With this planner, 365 Things Austin can help you get organized and maximize your stay.

Already on your way to Austin? Download the app for your iPhone or Android and take your plan with you!

Opened in May 1971, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library is a repository and exhibition of documents, photographs, audio recordings, and personal artifacts from one of the most interesting presidencies in our nation’s history. Located on the University of Texas campus, the LBJ Library is a fascinating destination for locals and visitors alike—more than 100,000 people pass through its doors each year.

Between the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, and the counterculture movement of the 1960s, the library gives both a snapshot of Johnson’s presidency and the context necessary to understand its importance.

Of the more than 45,000 personal objects donated by the Johnson family, visitors can view clothing worn by the president and first lady at the 1964 inauguration, antiques and visual art masterworks owned by the family and their friends, and the desk where LBJ was sitting when he signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Several permanent exhibits opened on what would have been Lady Bird Johnson’s 100th birthday in December 2012, including a 7/8 scale recreation of Johnson’s Oval Office, the Johnson Presidential Limousine, and an entire exhibit dedicated to the assassination of JFK on November 22, 2963.

Current temporary exhibits include Hats Off to LBJ!, an in-depth look at the headware worn and given to the First Family and the public museum debut of the letter of condolence LBJ wrote to Martin Luther King’s widow Coretta Scott King in April of 1968 after the Civil Rights leader was assassinated.

The LBJ Library also serves as an events space for symposiums , lectures, and interviews featuring guests like MLB Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and Bob Woodward, who helped uncover the Watergate scandal as an investigative journalist at the Washington Post.

Not long ago, Austin’s craft beer scene was much like Madonna’s front teeth, in that there was a large gap in need of filling. Thankfully, over the course of the past few years, dedicated and talented brewers have worked hard to bridge the beer gap, and now there are a multitude of breweries and quality brews to choose from in Austin and its surrounding areas.

However, this poses a different dilemma. With so many great breweries to visit, where do you even start? If you’re reading this right now, then you’ve come to the right place. Below is a comprehensive list of Austin breweries, inclusive of brewery highlights, contact information, and location. Scroll down and drink up!

Downtown/East Side

Hops & Grain

Which do you like better: beer or planet Earth? Tough decision, right?

The fine folks at Hops & Grain Brewery believe you should never have to choose between what are arguably the two most important things in life. Because of this, Hops & Grain Brewery is a big advocate of sustainable brewing, making a bevy of fantastic brews all while supporting the environment.

Not only do they repurpose their used grain by making dog biscuits with it, they also package their beer in 100% recyclable aluminum cans. With sustainably satiating suds like their Greenhouse IPA that bring peace to your body and your mind, you could say that Hops & Grain Brewery is putting a positive spin on the phrase “greenhouse effect.”

A wise band by the name of Parliament once said, “Most of all he needs the funk. Help him find the funk.” I’m not sure who “he” is, but if he’s in such desperate need of funk, he should go to Jester King Brewery. Jester King brews some of the funkiest beers around. Whether you’re looking for funky flavors, funky packaging, or a beautifully funky atmosphere, they’ve got it all.

Located in the breathtaking Texas Hill Country, Jester King continually draws inspiration from the land surrounding the brewery, incorporating wild yeast and native bacteria into their beers. It’s hard to find the exact words to describe the distinct and unique flavors of their farmhouse style ales, but one thing is for sure: No matter which Jester King beer you try, you should cherish it because you won’t find anything else quite like it.

Truly, their beers even change from batch to batch as they are naturally fermented, aged, and soured in barrels. So, visit the land, sample the beer, and tell Parliament not to worry because you have found the funk…and it is tres magnifique.

Alright, so this company isn’t actually a brewery, you got me there, but they are far and away the best way to see the local breweries. ATXcursions offers all-inclusive brewery tours every weekend that allow you to visit three Austin breweries and sample delicious beer to your heart’s content. If you give them a few hours of your time, they’ll make your whole day!

Not only do they provide a sober ride to and from each stop, but they also send you with a knowledgable beer guide who can answer your questions and make beer recommendations. From the critical connoisseur to the care-free consumer, their services will make any beer drinker feel #blessed. Click here to book a brewery tour with ATXcursions.

Home of the 99 pack, haven for hipsters, and a place where unicorns roam free. If you’re looking for bold, clean beer in a quintessential Austin environment, Austin Beerworks is totes your jam, homie. As this city’s fastest growing brewery, there’s no doubt that Austin Beerworks has figured out the perfect ratio of good times to good beer.

Much of their success can be attributed to the solid foundation they laid when they first started back in 2011. I should clarify that the foundation I’m talking about here is a metaphorical foundation made of quality beer, which is also a foundation I’d love to have poured straight into my mouth by a cement truck.

Austin Beerworks began by brewing four fantastic beers: Fire Eagle, Black Thunder, Peacemaker, and Pearlsnap. These tried and true brews have become timeless favorites and are all available to drink in the brewery’s taproom, along with several other intriguing brews that you won’t find in stores.

So lasso your unicorn (preferably by the horn), saddle up, and gallop/fly/magically appear into Austin Beerworks as soon as possible. Your steed will thank you.

If you’re an American, you celebrate your independence on July 4th. If you’re a Texan, you celebrate your independence everyday with a beer by Independence Brewing Co. One of Austin’s first breweries, Independence Brewing Co. has been churning out beer and turning on customers to traditional and unusual beer styles alike since 2004.

They first came onto the Austin market with beers like their Austin Amber and Bootlegger Brown in order to fight for styles they felt were underrepresented at the time. Now, these beers are mainstays, and Independence Brewing Co. can additionally support a solid list of seasonal and limited release beers like their Red Bud Berliner Weisse or their Lupulust Tripel.

Want to thank Independence Brewing Co. in person for helping to free Austin from its past of lackluster beer and paving the way for our current and future beer soldiers? Go to their tap room and raise your pints in their honor. Because they did not go quietly into the night. They did not vanish without a fight. They lived on! They survived! Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!

An oasis represents relief from hardship, a quenching of unbearable thirst. Nothing fits this description better than a beer by Oasis Texas Brewing Company (OTXBC). This brewery sits atop a hill overlooking Lake Travis, and the brewers there understand that when you come out for a visit, you’re going to want to stay a while and soak in the scenery.

That’s why OTXBC specializes in session-able brews that contain just the right amount of alcohol for you to sit a spell and enjoy a few without compromising your memory of the stunning sunset. With a sizable selection of suds to choose from, it can be difficult to figure out where to start.

While there’s no wrong decision to be made in this instance, a good option is to begin with their London Homesick Ale, an English-style ale that won gold in the 2014 Great American Beer Festival in Colorado. An award like this just goes to prove that partaking in OTXBC’s low-alcohol beers should be a task that is very high on your list.

We’ve teamed up with Austin Tour Company to offer rides to Treaty Oak Distillery’s Grand Opening celebration! Pick which date works best for you and hop on our luxury bus for a stress free ride to and from the distillery.

They’ll have one of the top reps from Treaty Oak riding the bus and serving up specialty keg cocktail samples on the ride out. Once on site you’ll enjoy a complimentary tasting of their fantastic spirits. While hanging out with friends old and new you can take self guided tours of the majestic grounds, grab tacos from the food truck, play yard games and enjoy awesome music.

If you’re looking for other things to do in Austin this weekend, check out our Weekend Top Picks!

Sunday Funday and Day Drink Responsibly with Austin Tour Company and Deep Eddy Vodka!

Enjoy luxury round trip transportation from the JW Marriott in downtown Austin to the amazing Deep Eddy Vodka Distillery & Tasting Room in Dripping Springs. Mingle with old friends and meet new ones on the BYOB ride to the venue. Once on-site a DEV insider will take you on a behind the scenes tour of the distillery floor where you’ll hear all about the history of this rapidly growing brand and learn how they make their delicious vodkas. Once you’re done with the tour you’ll get to grab a complimentary cocktail of your choice and get to take the souvenir glass home with you. A 20% discount on merchandise is extended to all tour guests.

Additional beverages available for purchase, you have a safe ride back downtown, dive-in!

Whether you are new to town or a longtime resident, tours open you up to new experiences and provide a fresh perspective on the city you call home. Here in Austin, we are fortunate to have access to tons of great tours covering every interest from food to fitness and Texas history.

1. Urban Kayaking Tours of Austin

Source: http://www.livelovepaddle.com/

Get the best of both fun and fitness when you sign up for an urban kayaking tour. Enjoy the sights and sounds of downtown Austin by kayak while learning about Austin’s unique history. Kayaks, paddles and water are included with each guided tour.

Want to get a behind the scenes look at how Austin’s favorite ice cream gets made? This tour is for you! Amy’s offer daily tours of their production facility where you can learn about the techniques and equipment used to make their delicious locally made ice creams. Best of all, the tour finishes off with a scoop of ice cream! How’s that for a sweet reward?More info: Amy’s Ice Creams’ ToursCost: FREE, ice cream scoop $2Location: Amy’s Ice Creams Production Facility
2109 Northland Drive
Austin, Texas 78756Hours: 10am Mon-Fri. Reservations are required.

3. Austin Food Tours

Source: RocketElectric.com

Fancy yourself a foodie? You won’t want to miss this unique tour of Austin’s hottest restaurants, food trailers and farmers markets. But wait, it gets better – you’ll zip around Austin by electric bike on this tour led by a local guide who knows the ins and outs of Austin’s famous food scene.More info: Rocket Electric’s Austin Food ToursCost: Tours start at $78Location: Rocket Electrics
1608 E Riverside Dr., Austin, TX 78741Hours: Tour dates and times vary. Contact Rocket Electric for details.

4. Texpert Cowboys & Dance Halls Tour

Source: ourlifewithaview.wordpress.com

Are you a die-hard Texan? Two-step your way to this fantastic tour where you will experience all things Texan, including a cowboy museum, a stop at the state’s oldest dance hall in Gruene, Texas and plenty of photo opportunities at breathtaking Hill Country vistas. Get to it, y’all!More info: Texpert ToursCost: Tours start at $80Location: Contact Texpert Tours for details.Hours: Tour dates and times vary. Reservations required. Contact Texpert Tours for details.

5. Austin Brewery Tours

Austin’s brewery scene has exploded in the last few years. This tour allows you to visit several breweries from the comfort (and safety) of a guided tour bus.